First Female Strength and Conditioning Coach in Franchise History Joins Oakland Raiders

A Disney blooded, crafty, fun-lovin' wife/mom/organizer/planner, etc who is obsessed with all things Disney 🙂 Maria grew up with the Magic Kingdom and has loved watching WDW evolve into what it is today. A firm believer in the Power of Pixie Dust, she is the owner of The Disney Driven Life - A Community for Neurotic Disney People & a d.i.y. crafty blog, Carousel of Projects - create~inspire~share.

Martinez – formerly an assistant performance coach for the Tom Shaw Performance Camp at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. – joined the National Football League’s Oakland Raiders as a strength and conditioning assistant coach.

Her appointment to this position is historically significant on several fronts.

Martinez becomes the second female strength and conditioning coach in NFL history and the first in nearly 30 years. The NFL’s first female strength and conditioning coach was Lee Brandon, who spent two seasons (1988 & 1989) as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the New York Jets. Additionally, she is the first female assistant coach in Raiders franchise history.

Martinez spent the past three years with the Tom Shaw Performance camp at Disney working with her father, renowned performance coach Tom Shaw.

Raiders head coach Jon Gruden recently hired Shaw as Oakland’s strength and conditioning coach and Martinez will join her father as a member of the club’s strength and conditioning staff.

Martinez is a graduate of Colorado State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science. At Disney, she worked with football, baseball, tennis and track and field athletes. Additionally, Martinez assisted with the NFL Scouting Combine and the NFL’s Veteran Training Program.

Earlier this offseason, more than 40 NFL Draft eligible football players including running back Saquon Barkley (Penn State) and quarterback J.T. Barrett (Ohio State) trained with Shaw and his team at the sports complex.

Shaw was on the strength and conditioning staffs for Florida State University, the New England Patriots and the New Orleans Saints prior to opening his sports performance camp at Walt Disney World Resort in 2005.

Maria H. (ndm#130)

A Disney blooded, crafty, fun-lovin' wife/mom/organizer/planner, etc who is obsessed with all things Disney :) Maria grew up with the Magic Kingdom and has loved watching WDW evolve into what it is today. A firm believer in the Power of Pixie Dust, she is the owner of The Disney Driven Life - A Community for Neurotic Disney People & a d.i.y. crafty blog, Carousel of Projects - create~inspire~share.